


illuminate the in-between

by where_you_go



Series: stepping stones [4]
Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alex is Not Smooth, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, But Willie thinks it's cute, Fade to Black Sexytimes, Implied/Referenced Blow Jobs, M/M, Making Out, Meet-Cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-16 19:01:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28961376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/where_you_go/pseuds/where_you_go
Summary: Alex had made some dumb choices in his life, and he was probably just extraordinarily lucky that none of those things had killed him yet.But that still didn’t make sleeping with his boss’s son a good choice.(How Alex and Willie meet in this AU; can be read as a standalone.)
Relationships: Alex Mercer/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms)
Series: stepping stones [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2056461
Comments: 12
Kudos: 90





	illuminate the in-between

**Author's Note:**

> This is a Tumblr prompt fill for Anon, who asked for "From the kiss list 58: Moving Around While Kissing, Stumbling Over Things, Pushing Each Other Back Against The Wall/Onto The Bed, for Alex/Willie"
> 
> Specific content warnings: consensual sexual activity between two adults

In the grand scheme of things, this probably didn’t even crack the top five worst choices Alex had ever made in his life. Outing himself to his hyper-religious parents in a moment of anger, running away from home to live in a studio garage with his broke friends, eating hot dogs out of the hood of someone’s car? Yeah, Alex had made some dumb fucking choices in his life, and he was probably just extraordinarily lucky that none of those things had killed him yet.

(In moments of spite, he wanted to put _becoming friends with Luke Patterson_ as number one on that list, but he couldn’t quite regret their friendship, no matter how badly it had ended.)

But that still didn’t make _sleeping with the boss’s son_ a good choice, by any stretch of the imagination. 

It’s just that — well, Alex hated the holidays. The whole Christmas season was nothing more than one giant reminder of all the ways his life had gone spectacularly sideways. And people were obsessed with it. Alex couldn’t take three steps outside his apartment without being bombarded by lights and wreaths and the creepy Santa Claus his neighbors had hung up on their door.

Alex’s favorite holiday tradition was spending Christmas Eve with Reggie in his undecorated apartment, getting shitfaced and pretending like he didn’t miss going to Midnight Mass with his parents or decorating the garage with the one string of lights that wasn’t burnt out and the world’s scraggliest tree. They watched movies that weren’t holiday themed at all and looked away when the other one started crying.

This year, however, he wasn’t able to beg off of Covington Records’ Annual Holiday Party and so he found himself gritting his teeth and swallowing back all the sarcastic vitriol he could feel building in the back of his throat. It wasn’t any of his their faults that Alex associated the Christmas season with only negativity, but seeing their joy certainly didn’t help his mood.

He just wanted to go home to his bed and stay there until this whole season was over. He did not want to listen to anymore stories about Betty from reception’s cat.

Alex was looking for a good corner to hide in when some clumsy idiot ran straight into him, knocking them both over and drenching Alex and his white sweater in cranberry punch.

Of course this would happen. Of course. 

Alex pushed himself back up to standing and was getting ready to tear into the unfortunate soul who had managed to make his already bad day even worse, when he finally got a good look at his assailant.

And then his brain promptly shut down.

The guy standing in front of him was _stunning_. He was about an inch shorter than Alex, but his tailored black pants made his legs look like they went on for miles. Underneath a black blazer, his dark blue button down shirt was open at the collar, and Alex could barely look away from the smooth skin of his neck. Until he started running his fingers through his long brown hair, pushing it back and out of his face so that Alex had a clear view of high cheekbones, full lips, and the most gorgeous eyes he’d ever seen. 

Oh, Alex was far too gay to be expected to function under these conditions. 

“Oh shit, man, I’m sorry about your sweater! Here let me,” The gorgeous guy in front of him quickly grabbed a few napkins off the nearest table and started patting at the pink punch stain on Alex’s chest.

Alex froze, his useless brain screaming “HE’S TOUCHING ME” over and over and generally being completely unhelpful.

When the man’s face started scrunching up like he might actually be upset about staining a stranger’s sweater, Alex somehow managed to snap out of his big gay panic and say, “Oh don’t worry, I mean, pink’s my favorite color, so really this is an improvement.”

That got a smile out of the gorgeous stranger and wow, Alex was sure that his heart had just skipped about fifteen beats. His smile was _radiant_.

“And anyways, if you wanted an excuse to take my clothes off, you could have just asked.” The second the words came out of Alex’s mouth he wanted to _die_ , oh my god, you can’t just say things like that to strangers, no matter how enchanting you found their eyes? 

But the man’s face lit up in a huge grin as he tossed his head back and laughed so hard that he snorted. It was adorable and Alex wanted to hear it over and over again.

“You are definitely the most interesting person I’ve met all night,” the stranger smirked at him. “My name is Willie, by the way.”

“I’m Alex and I don’t typically proposition strangers five minutes after meeting them, but I guess this is turning out to be a more, well, interesting night than I expected.”

“Well, Alex,” Willie said, leaning in close with a mischievous grin dancing at the corners of his mouth, “I was planning on getting out of here. If you wanted, you could come with me and we could see if we could find some other interesting things to do?”

Willie held out his hand like a question and Alex would have followed him anywhere in that moment.

“Yeah, let’s get out of here. I hate holiday parties anyways,” Alex grinned right back at him, grabbing his hand and letting himself be pulled out the door.

They had wandered around on foot for a while, talking about everything and nothing and Alex had never felt more at ease with another human being before. Willie told him about his work as an artist, how he loved the way a blank wall looked right before he covered it in a mural and all the tiny details he snuck in even though he knew most people would never notice. He talked with his hands, Alex noticed, mesmerized by the movements of his long, elegant fingers.

They grabbed a snack of dessert waffles from a food truck and then laughed when they got powdered sugar on their noses. Alex figured that his sweater was a lost cause at that point anyway, so he pulled it off. He didn’t miss the way that Willie’s eyes lingered on the skin at the base of his neck when he’d opened the top button of his shirt. 

It really wasn’t that much of a surprise when Willie then casually asked him, “So you didn’t bring a girlfriend to your work party?”

Alex snorted. Very subtle. “I’m too gay for a girlfriend and too single to bring anyone to a work party.”

“Oh?” Willie bit his lip, and suddenly the space between them became charged with tension like an electric current. “Me too. I mean, I’m also gay. And single. In case you were wondering.”

“That’s good to know.” Alex didn’t know where the sudden swell of courage he had was coming from but he found himself boldly adding, “While we’re just stating random facts here, I don’t have a roommate either. I live alone, in my apartment, if you wanted to maybe go there with me? I could show it to you?”

Willie’s eyes gleamed in the dark, lit up by the golden glow of the streetlights. 

“Yeah, I think I’d like to see it.”

—

Alex would’ve been lying if he said he’d had honest intentions with his invitation, but he’d thought that he would invite Willie in, maybe offer him a beverage, and _then_ try and suck his soul out through his dick.

As it turned out, they didn’t even make it inside before Willie had Alex crowded up against the door with his tongue halfway down his throat and his hands burning white-hot trails along the skin of his back. 

Willie worked his knee between Alex’s thighs and he groaned, letting his head fall back against the door. Willie took that as an opportunity to trail a line of kisses down his neck, stopping to mouth hotly at his Adam’s apple. 

Oh _god_ , Willie was way too good at this.

Alex fumbled with his keys, somehow managing to find and insert the correct key into the lock all behind his back. The door opened behind him and they fell back through the doorway, running into the hallway wall. Alex blindly shoved at the door, hoping that it shut all the way, but honestly he couldn’t care less when Willie was biting at his jaw and sliding one hand down the back of his thigh. 

He needed this man naked, preferably in his bed, but he’d settle for the couch if that’s as far as they made it. 

He grabbed Willie’s shoulders and shoved him backwards, diving forward to connect their mouths again and scrabbling with the buttons of his shirt. Willie reached up to grasp at Alex’s hair, tugging at the strands until it stung. They stumbled blindly along the hallway in darkness, tripping over each other’s feet and the miscellaneous junk that Alex hadn’t even thought to clean up before he left his apartment earlier that day. 

Alex tried to steer them vaguely in the direction of his bedroom, but he also was trying to split his attention between getting Willie’s shirt off and how Willie’s tongue felt in his mouth, so he thought it was forgivable when he missed the open doorway and accidentally slammed Willie’s back against the doorjamb. Willie didn’t seem to mind too much, especially not when Alex (finally!) got the last button of his shirt undone and starting pushing it off his shoulders. The shirt landed in a rumpled heap at Willie’s feet as Alex leaned back to gaze at the skin on display.

They were both breathing heavily, standing in the doorway of his bedroom, pausing for a moment to just look at each other. Alex thought that he’d never seen anything as gorgeous as this man in front of him right now. Willie’s hair was messed up and his lips were swollen. A dark flush was spreading down his bare chest and Alex’s eyes traced the lines of his body down to where he could see the obvious arousal tenting those sinfully tight pants. 

“You are stunning,” Alex whispered, sliding one hand down Willie’s chest so that he could run his thumb gently over a dark brown nipple. Willie shivered and looked up at him through hooded dark eyes. 

Alex wasn’t a strong enough man to resist this temptation, even if he wanted to.

“I would really like to blow you, if that’s ok with you?” Alex asked, maintaining eye contact with Willie as he sank to his knees in front of him.

“ _Fuck_ ,” Willie hissed, letting his head hit the wall with a thunk that sounded painful. 

Alex rested his hands on Willie’s hips and placed a small kiss to the soft skin below his belly button. “Is that a yes?”

Willie huffed out a laugh and said, “Well, since you asked so nicely, how could I say no?”

“You can always say no,” Alex hummed slightly without moving his mouth away from where it was resting against Willie’s stomach. “I wanted to say no when I was invited to that stupid party. I’m really glad I didn’t though.”

A hand carded through Alex’s hair and he leaned into it, enjoying this oddly gentle moment that seemed at odds with the desperate desire that Alex could feel burning through his veins. He wanted Willie _so much_ , but he was starting to think that one night wouldn’t be enough.

“I am also glad that I agreed to go to that party. My dad has been trying to convince me for years, but I would’ve said yes sooner if I had known that he had a pretty drummer hidden away there.”

Part of Alex’s brain was stuck on Willie calling him _pretty_ but when he opened his mouth what came out was, “Your dad?”

Willie raised his eyebrows. “Yeah, I mean he was kind of disappointed I didn’t turn out to be musically talented so he could have me on his label, but now that my art is well-known enough that I’m not a disgrace to the Covington name he wants to show me off to his employees, I guess.”

Every muscle in Alex’s body froze instantly. His mouth dropped open as he stared up at Willie as if seeing him for the first time. 

He hadn’t even thought to question why a painter was at the recording studio’s holiday party but now the dots were connecting in his head and Alex felt painfully stupid. He’d clearly been spending too much time with Reggie.

“Oh my god,” Alex groaned in a less-than-sexy way, dropping his head to rest on Willie’s abdomen. 

“Alex? What’s wrong?” Willie’s voice sounded worried. He ran his fingers through Alex’s hair again and then down the back of his neck. He pushed Alex’s face back so he could look at him, eyes frantically searching Alex’s face as if there was something written there. 

Alex reached up and grabbed at Willie’s hands to hold them still on the sides of his head. “You’re my boss’s _son_. Caleb Covington is _your dad_.”

“Yeah,” Willie said slowly, biting at his lip. “Is that gonna be a problem?”

It should be a problem, Alex thought. Like a huge fucking problem. Mr. Covington was notoriously temperamental and Alex had no desire to be on the receiving end of one of his tantrums. Or worse, lose his job because of a hook up. Alex still enjoyed playing the drums, and even if the whole band thing clearly hadn’t worked out, it was a solid paycheck that allowed him to do the thing he loved.

But…his boss wasn’t here right now. _Willie_ was here, still looking at him with that softly worried expression, like he was afraid he’d done something wrong.

And something in Alex was telling him that “hook up” wasn’t the right word for whatever this was. 

Fuck it. Alex had made worse choices in his life. And if he got fired, well. Willie would be worth it.

Alex quickly stood back up, grasping Willie’s face in his hands and dragging him into a passionate kiss. He kissed him slowly and thoroughly, licking deep into the corner’s of Willie’s mouth and swallowing every desperate noise the other man made. He could feel the worried tension release from Willie’s body as he melted into the embrace. 

They broke the kiss for air, but neither of them moved away, resting their foreheads together and breathing in the shared air between them. 

“No, it’s not a problem. Not for me. You?” Alex asked quietly.

Willie shook his head. “No, I really — I really like you, Alex. I was planning on asking you to go on a real date and everything, but you distracted me.”

“Oh, really, _I_ distracted _you_?” Alex said, incredulously. “Like you have room to talk with all your sexy…sexiness.”

“My sexy sexiness?”

Alex winced. Well if Willie had thought he was even a little bit smooth, that was over now. Clearly, he really had been spending too much time with Reggie if this was the kind of thing he was going to say to hot guys now.

“I don’t suppose you’d be interested in ignoring how stupidly dorky that sounded and going back to the part where I was taking your pants off?”

“I thought it was pretty cute actually,” Willie grinned and scrunched up his nose, and how did he manage to look so adorable and so hot at the same time, “And kind of dorky. But I guess that works for me, because I really want to take your pants off too. And maybe move this party to the bed?”

“Yes, please,” Alex nodded, but couldn’t stop himself from kissing Willie again, something sweet and light and Alex could tell that he’d never be able to get enough of kissing Willie. Maybe he could convince him to stay the night and he could find out if kissing him good morning was as good as he thought it might be.

They could deal with everything else later. Together.

**Author's Note:**

> The title is from "Ultralife" by Oh Wonder.
> 
> I know I said this series was complete but the prompt I got just fit so well with how I envisioned Alex and Willie meeting in this universe that I had to add it. 
> 
> Come say hi on [tumblr](where-you-go.tumblr.com)!


End file.
